Copy and reuse components

You can reuse components in a design by either creating a copy that remains linked to the original, or that diverges from it. You can also reference external designs as components in the current design.

There are three commands to help you reuse components: Paste, Paste New, and Insert into Current Design.

Paste

Use Paste to create an identical copy of a component. All copies maintain a linked association with each other. When you change one copy, all of the copies created using Paste update to reflect the same changes.

1. In the browser, right-click the component.
2. Click Copy.
3. Right-click the parent component that you want to nest the copied component within.
4. Click Paste.
5. Use the manipulator handles or adjust the settings in the Move/Copy dialog to position the component.
6. Click OK.

The new copy of the component displays in the browser and in the canvas.

• The two components share the same name, except for the designations :1 and :2 at the end.
• You can position each copy independently within the assembly.

Paste New

Use Paste New to create an independent copy of a component. Each copy is unique. When you change one copy, none of the copies created using Paste New will update to reflect the changes.

1. In the browser, right-click the component.
2. Click Copy.
3. Optional: Open the destination Fusion design if you are copying the component to a different design.
4. Right-click the parent component in which you want to nest the copied component.
5. Click Paste New.
6. Use the manipulator handles or adjust the settings in the Move/Copy dialog to position the component.
7. Click OK.

The new copy of the component displays in the browser and in the canvas. You can position each copy independently within the assembly.

The outcomes of Paste New depend on whether or not you’re working in a collaborative editing hub.

Outcomes for Paste New in a non-collaborative editing hub

In a non-collaborative editing hub, the pasted component keeps the part number, part name, and properties of the original component that was copied. This applies to children of the component, if they exist.

There is one exception to this. If a pasted component has the same name as a component that’s already in the target design, the pasted name is incremented with a number; for example, if you paste Component1 into a design that already contains a component named Component1, the pasted component name becomes Component2. The part number is also incremented.

1. In the Box 1 assembly, Component1 is copied.
2. Since Component2 is a child of Component1, it’s automatically copied, too.
3. The Box 2 assembly also contains a component named Component1.
4. In the Box 2 assembly, Component1, which was copied from the Box 1 assembly, is pasted using Paste New. It becomes Component2 because there is already a Component1 in this assembly.
5. The child component, Component2, is incremented to Component3.
6. Aside from Part Number and Part Name, all other properties of the component remain the same; for example, Description.

The same thing happens even if Component1 was once in the Box 2 assembly but was deleted at some point.

1. In the Box 1 assembly, Component1 is copied.
2. The Box 2 assembly used to contain a Component1, but it was deleted at some point and does not appear in the browser. Fusion still considers this Component1 to be part of its design history.
3. In the Box 2 assembly, Component1 is pasted using Paste New and becomes Component2 so as not to conflict with the historical Component1.

Outcomes for Paste New in a collaborative editing hub

When you paste as new in a collaborative editing hub, the component is given a new, unique part number. If it has child components, those retain their part numbers. All other properties are maintained.

1. Top Lid Assembly is copied.
2. The shared part number icon indicates that Top Lid Assembly is part of a shared part number group.
3. The component Part Number is Top lid assy.
4. Top Lid Assembly is pasted as new into a new assembly.
5. There is no shared part number icon. This indicates the pasted component is not part of a shared part number group.
6. A new, unique number is generated for the component. All its other properties, including its name, remain the same.

Since collaborative editing hubs support shared part numbers, there are various outcomes possible when you paste as new:

Insert into Current Design

Use the Insert into Current Design command to reference an external Fusion design as an External Component (xref) within the assembly of the current design. The original design remains outside the current design, but you can use Edit In Place to edit it directly as a component in the context of the assembly of the current design. When you change the original design, either from within the current design or by opening and editing it directly, the changes are reflected everywhere the design is referenced.

1. In the Data Panel, navigate to the design you want to reference.
2. Right-click the design and select Insert into Current Design.
3. Use the manipulator handles or adjust the settings in the Move/Copy dialog to position the component.
4. Click OK.

The inserted design displays in the browser as a component in the assembly and in the canvas.

• The Component Link icon indicates that it is an External Component (xref).
• In the Data Panel, the inserted design is listed in the Uses section of the current design, and the current design is listed in the Used In section for the inserted design.
• The Edit In Place icon appears in the browser next to the component, so that you can edit the external component in context, without leaving the current design.

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